The Truth
by Illyera
Summary: Kimberly tells Tommy the real reason behind that note she wrote him all those years ago.


I wanted to try a different idea to why Kimberly wrote Tommy that letter. I hope you got my reason. This is suppose to go with my Book of Power idea I had started eons ago. Might see it. But Tommy and Kimberly are one of the past rangers called upon to help. To get the end result, either 1. The Book of Power fan fiction or 2. Another one shot will be done. I haven't decided yet. But I hope you like.

**...**

_A Tommy and Kimberly Shorty_

The night was peaceful for once since they had arrived and they battled the Prince for the first time. It gave them time to recover from the brutal battle. He was determined that was for sure, to get his hands on the book they all swore to protect.

She just never imagined it was this hard and life draining. Sure, Lord Zedd and Rita were a handful but they were nothing like him or so heart felt on getting that book.

Her ribs were damaged and bruised, it made it difficult to breathe at times and the lump on her head gave her a headache that just wouldn't go away.

But like the others, they stood their ground protecting and fighting like old times. The consequences were the least of their worries…the least of hers. She had other thoughts on her mind. She had dreamed of this day that one day their path would cross, she just didn't think it would be this way. Her terms, her way. Not destiny knocking on their door. She avoided him the best she could, the occasional look they shared but the longer she stayed in the same room as him, the ugly past of her mistake came straying in. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach when she saw him in the first time in over ten years. 13 years to be exact.

13 long years she avoided the truth. She tried many times, she wanted to call him and tell him the truth that there was more to then just the letter she wrote. The letter she knew that would break his heart. It broke her heart just writing it. But it was for the best, wasn't it?

She dealt with the consequences of her own actions. Maybe it was her blowing her knee out at the Olympics or the depression that crept along the way from not being able to follow her dreams any longer. Maybe it was fate telling her that she, Kimberly Hart, had made the wrong, worst possible decision of her life to end her relationship with the one man that ever loved her like she was meant to be loved.

She tried writing another letter to quick explain why she did what she did. But couldn't bring herself to send it. The damage was done from the first letter. Why would he believe her if he got a second one? She even went as far as taking herself to Reefside and explain to him in person. But she couldn't. She couldn't deal with the door slamming in her face. So she left it alone., she went against everything that she felt to just ignore the truth.

But now, here she was. A power ranger again. Old feelings that she buried along with her Olympic dreams slowly started to surface. She had to work with him again. It was a bad twilight movie she couldn't get out of, no matter how hard she fought.

She slipped out the entrance of the cave they were using to help shield the guardian from the prying spies of the Prince. Fresh air was needed even if it hurt like oh holy hell with each breath she took. The sun had just sat behind the horizon cascading a laminated shades of pink and oranges through the scattered clouds. The soft sound of birds chirping their way through the quiet air off in the distance. The longer she stood there, the more it was a soothing sound to her ears.

The edge of the cliff was only a few feet away from her. Her stomach twitched at the flutter of being up so high. Chills ran up her spine and down her arms, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as the uncomfortable feeling began to make her feel sick to her stomach. She wrapped her arms around herself, the trees began to spin and fade from her line of sight. She gasped for air, hearing her heart beat pounding hard in her chest, in her ears. Something was wrong. She felt weak in the knees.

She gasped again as she stumbled back away from the edge. Every muscle in her body stiffened when a pair of arms came out of nowhere grabbing a hold of her shoulders and steadied her from taking the fall into the rocks behind her.

His voice was thick and heavily filled with concern that she almost didn't recognize it. She opened her mouth to apologize to him that she didn't know anyone was there behind her, but nothing came out. Instead, Kimberly relaxed resting against him.

"Kimberly…" He called her name.

She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts and collect herself from the near pass out she almost experienced. "I…I'm sorry…" She muttered out shakily. "I don't know what happened. I just…" She brushed her hand over her face and opened her eyes. "All of a sudden I felt dizzy. I had to get away from the edge."

"Are you…?" He asked her, the color began to return to her face. "You had me worried there for a second."

Kimberly nodded slightly. "Yeah I'm fine." She said, sucking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out. "I guess getting my ass kicked is finally catching up to me. I haven't felt this way in such a long time, I forgot what it was like…"

Tommy nodded his understanding. He felt the same, at least his body felt it. "It's been a rough last couple of days." He looked at her. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? You want to go back in and sit down…maybe talk?"

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled a little. "I'll be fine. I just needed some fresh air. It was getting a little too cramped in there."

He agreed. Since his arrival, six past rangers came to their aide in their quest to protect both the book of power and the guardian who watched over it. "Okay, if you want or need…" His hands slid down her arms before dropping them to his side. He took a small step away to the right. "You know where…" His words strayed from him. Her attention was deep in their surroundings. There was no use. She wouldn't talk to him.

He knew she was avoiding him. Everyone saw it, but they didn't question to why the original pink ranger mostly stayed to her self. Their history went far deeper then anyone knew. He doubt they knew they were together and parted ways that broke them.

"I'll be…" He turned and started to make his way back into the cave. He was sure they were missing out on the newest battle plans to defeat the Prince.

"Tommy." She said quickly, turning her head to watch his retreating form but stopped when she called his name. There was no better time then now to explain to him the events that took place over 13 years ago. There was no other way. Now or never. If she kept them to herself any longer, avoided the truth and avoided him the rest of her stay, surely it would result in her getting herself even more hurt or worse.

She sighed softly. "Please don't go. I..uh…" How could she find the right words to explain her actions? How can she tell him that it was all based on a lie, for her own selfish reasons. She wanted to reach her goal, her dream of going to the Olympics and at the time her coach was right. Distractions were going to make her fail. And Tommy was her distraction. "Don't go."

The chills ran up his spine as he stopped and turned around to face her. He looked at her, lost in deep thought. She had something on her mind, he could see that much. "Kimberly…"

"I don't want you to go." She told him honestly, looking up and their eyes met. "I…I've never wanted to let you go."

"I don't understand." He said, looking at her. His eyes narrowed. Not a single word made since to him as he tried to fathom what she meant.

Kimberly sighed heavily, "There's something I want to tell you, something I should have told you a long time ago." She walked over to the wall of rocks that made up the structure of the cave they turned into their headquarters. "I just didn't know how to tell you." She rested up against it, her arms folding across her chest. "You need to know…"

Tommy took a few steps towards her but stopped. He stared at her for a long moment before he spoke, breaking the built up awkward silence that was starting to surround them. "What's on your mind, Beautiful?" Her nickname eased out without much regret for calling her that.

She blushed enough for her cheeks to turn a light shade of pink. "You shouldn't call me that." Kimberly told him. "I don't deserve it."

"Let me be the judge of that," He said, leaning into the structure of the cave as well. He watched her closely. She trembled slightly, Tommy wasn't sure if it was the cool breeze or if she was nervous. "Now, are you going to tell me what is on your mind?"

Kimberly chuckled. "You're so persistent, aren't you?"

He shrugged. She was avoiding his question. "I've learned a few things while I was in college. Professors can be very needy at times, it'll rub off onto you."

"I feel like I'm in high school again." She muttered. "Do you remember that letter I wrote to you."

The letter that turned his life upside down in a matter of a few words. How could he forget that piece of paper? It burned a hole in his heart when he read that Kimberly found another. It made him bitter and angry that she could do such a thing to him. He thought they were going to last forever. But she proved that to be wrong.

He felt worthless, a piece of garbage. She couldn't even pick up the phone to tell him. Instead she wrote it. He never quite understood why. They could tell each other anything, their deepest secrets, their heart felt moments that they could tell no other. He tried to contact her, demand answers in the same fashion she did him wrong. In a letter. But the letter never made it to the mailbox. "Kimberly, what's this about?' He asked her, not wanting to take that step out onto thin ice and relive that pain again.

Of course he remembered, she thought. How could he forget such a thing, she couldn't even forget it. Countless nights of endless showers to try and wash away the guilt she felt for sending it to him. "There's something you need to know about that letter. You need to know the truth."

Warning bells rang inside his ears. Walk away and never look back. The deed was done, he was over it and he moved on from it.

Kimberly didn't give him the chance to ask another what's this about. "It just doesn't settle right leaving the question of why. If something went wrong with…and I didn't get to explain myself, I could never forgive myself. I know I hurt you, Tommy. I never meant to hurt you, but there was no other way. So I wrote that letter. I wrote it to escape and follow my dream. I wouldn't have lasted if I didn't." Her eyes began to water. "I was so home sick, I missed you guys so much. The new surroundings were frightening that sometimes I couldn't catch my breath. It was scary. I went as far as telling my coach I quit and wanted to go home."

"My coach understood and he told me that if it really was something I wanted, he would take me to the airport and I could return home where I knew I wanted to be." She swiped at the tears that began to fall.

Tommy listened to her. He was lost for words on what to say or what he could say. This part never made it to the letter so he had no idea how much it bothered her to take that big of a step in her life.

"I was torn on what to do because I knew this was the only chance I would ever get, how close I could become to one day making it to the Olympics. It was my dream and I was ready to throw it away because I missed home."

She took a deep breath and let it out before she turned to look at him. "I know things can never go back to the way that they were. I'm not looking for it. I know what I did was wrong but you need to know that I never wanted to hurt you."

"Kimberly…" He started to say.

"Please let me finish before you say anything." Kimberly said, straightening up. "It's better that way. You need to know everything before jumping to the conclusion that I'm that awful person everyone thinks I am because I wrote you a break up letter when I should have called. But…there never was anyone else in the picture. He was just made up…"

His mouth dropped open slightly, his eyebrows shifted and Tommy felt his heart stop beating.

"It took me some time to realize that if I left and went home, I would be throwing away everything that I worked so hard for. Training for the Pan Global was my only chance to give myself a name and go to the Olympics. There was nothing left for me back in Angel Grove. I gave my power coin to Kat because I was ready to move forward in life." She looked away. "It wasn't even my idea to write that stupid letter."

Memories flooded his mind as he remembered sitting there in the Juice Bar as he read the letter he received from Kimberly. The news blurted out from his vocals for all his friends to hear that she moved on to better things, he was no longer good enough. "You always had me, Kim." He said, finally ignoring her interruptions. He couldn't help it anymore. Even he had words to say. "You knew that you could have called me and told me. I'm so sick of that damn letter. It haunts me every day. And now you're telling me that it's all lies?"

She nodded. She could hear the lingering annoyance hanging in the air around them. "Tommy, if you knew that I wanted to give up, you would have either talked me into staying or coming home. Our feelings would have created a catastrophic crater that we both would have later regretted. I had to realize it myself that being in Florida was the place to be. The letter was wrote because…because I had to end all my ties back home. My concentration was needed…" Her eyes were piercing holes into his soul as she looked at him long and hard. "You were my distraction, Tommy. You were the biggest reason why I didn't care if I left Florida and never looked back. It was wrote because the pain would have been too much for you to come and track me down or even look at me the same. "

He swallowed hard as her words hit him like a 2x4 being smashed against his skull. It hurt just as worse if not more hearing that this whole letter thing was more of a joke for them to break up. Didn't he have a say so how their relationship should have ended?

He pressed a hand against his forehead. His head was throbbing. "Who's idea was it then if it wasn't yours?" He questioned to her.

"It doesn't matter," She told him, flatly. "It won't fix things. It's not going to make it go away. It had to be done because I know you, if we just broke up just cause or the long distance was too much. I know you would have done something to fix that and I couldn't let you do that. You were needed in Angel Grove. The fate of the world depended on you and the others, not your girlfriend who had separation issues."

"But I should have had something to say, don't you think? It was my heart that you and whoever else was playing with."

The crack in the dam broke free releasing all the built up water from years of keeping everything all locked up came spewing over. Faster then before, the tears fell from her eyes. "I know and I am truly sorry…"

"Are you?" He fired back, anger peaking through. "You broke my heart, Kim. You tossed it away, stomped on it. There aren't enough words to describe what that felt like reading a letter that your girlfriend that supposedly loved you met another guy. And now, it's all one big lie that's like playing field and missing the catch on purpose."

"Why now Kim? Why now after all this time are you telling me this?" Tommy felt the emotional roller coaster crashing down all around him. "What makes you think that I wanted this? I was perfectly fine knowing that you had met someone else who made you happy. I have accepted that it wasn't me."

She wiped at the tears and covered her mouth with the back of her hand to muffle the cry that escaped. "Because, it's been so hard seeing you. I can't even think straight knowing that I knew the truth and you didn't. I tried telling you but I heard from Billy that you were seeing Kat and I couldn't ruin that. I didn't want to ruin your happiness with her." She cried out softly. "Billy said that you finally opened your heart again. I…I couldn't take that away."

"I'm not who I was back in high school. I'm emotionally and physically drained. I needed to try and make things work even if in the end you hated my guts and never wanted anything to do with me again. I don't expect you to take my word after everything that I've done to you. I just needed to tell you. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry for what I've done. One day, I hope that you can forgive me for breaking your heart and lying to you. I'm sorry, Tommy."

Kimberly didn't wait for his response. She knew that it was much to take in, a lot to understand. A lot to process. She knew that there was more of a chance that after this, walking away and leaving him standing there, it would be the last time she would be able to talk too him. Why would he after learning the truth? A selfish act, her own reasons of gain, possibly cost her the right for forgiveness.


End file.
